Unrest in Catalonia fuels China's accusations of Western 'hypocrisy'

China is seizing on violent protests in Europe and South America to bolster its condemnation of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong and defend its handling of the unrest.

Recent clashes in Chile and Spain's Catalonia region have added fuel to China's claims that Western governments and media have hypocritically supported Hong Kong's protests even while condemning violence at home.

Chinese state media and officials have been weighing in on the unrest abroad in recent days.

"We see violence today in Hong Kong being reproduced in other places," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told AFP on Monday, citing the clashes in Catalonia and Chile, as well as protests in London.

"In Catalonia they publicly declare that a second Hong Kong will be created in Catalonia and that they are inspired by what's happening (in Hong Kong). I think some people must think about their actions," he said.

China has decried "terrorist-like" actions by a violent minority among protesters in Hong Kong and accused foreign governments of fomenting unrest in the semi-autonomous southern city.

Hong Kong's police force has faced accusations of committing abuses during nearly five months of increasingly violent protests in the financial hub.

The movement, which was originally focused on opposition to a now-scrapped extradition bill that would have allowed residents of the city to face trial in the Communist-ruled mainland, has now expanded to include broader demands for democracy and investigations into police violence.

"In recent months we've seen both Beijing and Chinese state media coming out very strongly against the protesters, painting them as villains in the unfolding drama," said Adam Ni, a China researcher at Macquarie University.

Beijing is using the situation in Catalonia as evidence that "only with a strong central government, strong law enforcement, can we stay afloat above this sea of chaos", Ni said.

"It's basically saying, look, what we're doing is not that different from what's happening overseas including in liberal democracies," Ni said. "But, of course, the context is very different."
The state-run China Daily argued: "Western media and politicians have a double standard when it comes to the same violence committed by protesters in different countries."